1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the monitoring of business events and more particularly relates to monitoring business events at the business process level.
2. Description of the Related Art
Application integration has emerged as a key e-business technology for providing integrated customer solutions arising from the need to share application data among multiple customer applications. For example, WebSphere Interchange Server from IBM of Armonk, N.Y., may be part of a WebSphere integration system that enables data flow between disparate data stores and applications. The exchange of data is typically bi-directional, metadata driven, and encapsulated in business events known as business objects. A business object typically includes a set of attributes that represent a business entity (such as Employee) and an action on the data (such as a create or update operation).
The component of a WebSphere business integration system that integrates data among heterogeneous applications is typically referred to as an integration broker or integration server. An integration server typically provides a variety of services that include the ability to route data, a repository of rules that govern the integration process, connectivity to a variety of applications, and administrative capabilities that facilitate integration.
WebSphere Interchange Server also enables users to create business processes using a process design tool. A business process defines how the business events that are passing through the system should be handled. A need exists for customers to be able to monitor the events that are passing through an Integration server without affecting the existing business process. Monitoring business events, including the data values for business objects associated with the business events permits early detection regarding proper operation of a business process without disrupting the flow of the business process. Conventional technology allows users to detect the number of business events passing through a particular integration server, but the data encapsulated within the business objects associated with the business events is unavailable for monitoring without disrupting the existing business process. Often a count of the number of events is not enough granularity for proper monitoring and evaluation.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that provides for the non-intrusive monitoring of business events on an integration server. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would allow data encapsulated with the business events to be monitored and stored without affecting the existing business process such that a user could more efficiently monitor and manage the business events.